Bangsamoro no ARMM makeover - Palace

ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines - Malacanang is confident the proposed “Bangsamoro” will not be “failed experiment” like the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

In an interview with radio dzRB, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said: “We’re very helpful with this particular agreement. Both sides are committed to giving peace a chance.”

She stressed that the “Bangsamoro” is not a “makeover” or a mere replacement of the ARMM. “A reading of the framework agreement will belie that assumption,” she said.

The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front reached an agreement last Sunday, October 7, to create the political entity to replace ARMM.

“The Constitution and lawful processes shall govern the transition to the Bangsamoro, and this agreement will ensure that the Philippines remains one nation and one people, with all of our diverse cultures and narratives seeking the common goal,” Aquino said during the announcement, calling the ARMM a “failed experiment.”

The framework agreement will be signed tomorrow, October 15, at 1:30 p.m. in Malacanang by the parties’ negotiators, Marvic Leonen and Mohagher Iqbal.

The signing will be witnessed by Aquino and MILF chairman Murad Ebrahim.

The highest officials of Malaysia and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will also be attending the “historic” event, led by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.